Biographie
Ceola J. is a writer, director, producer, and visionary storyteller whose work lives at the intersection of faith, family, purpose, and community empowerment. As the founder of CJG Productions, she creates purpose-driven stage and screen projects that reflect the real-life journeys, challenges, and triumphs of everyday people through a lens of faith, family, and community restoration. Her creative journey began in childhood writing poetry and short stories, early expressions of the voice she would later carry into theatre and film. In 2017, she wrote, produced, and co-directed her first original stage play, From Female, to Woman, to Lady, alongside co-director Chelle T. She went on to build a trilogy with If These Walls Could Talk (2018), If These Walls Could Talk #2 (2019), and If These Walls Could Talk: A Family Affair (2020). Ceola followed with Finding Her Voice - The Stage Play (2020), a family-focused, real-life relatable story that streamed on Broadway On Demand.
In 2021, she transitioned her storytelling from stage to screen by creating the sitcom 212 Vernon Place, a spin-off series inspired by the characters and story lines from her If These Walls Could Talk trilogy. From the Empress Theater, the Guild Theater, The Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, she continued expanding her theatrical work with productions at the Lesher Center for the Arts (2023) and multiple runs of If These Walls Could Talk: A Family Affair at the El Campanil Theater (2018, 19, & 2025), with additional productions planned for 2026. Ceola is currently in production on the family and faith-centered film Finding Her Voice for Christmas, an adaptation of her stage play Finding Her Voice, set for release on major streaming platforms. Through each project, she activates her call to inspire, empower, and encourages audiences through the art of storytelling.
Beyond the arts, she leads Dream2b, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women, youth, and under-served communities through performing arts, education, and support programs. She is also the founder of the East Contra Costa County Black Chamber of Commerce, launching in 2026 to champion economic opportunity and representation for local Black-owned businesses. In addition to her creative and community work, Ceola is also an inspirational speaker, certified life coach, and licensed and ordained minister, roles that deeply inform her commitment to healing-centered, purpose-driven storytelling.
Driven by her faith and grounded in her mission, Ceola J. is a creative force committed not only to producing impactful art, but to building platforms, opportunities, and spaces where individuals can heal, grow, and rise. Her work reflects her belief that storytelling is ministry, and that every project is an assignment with the power to change lives.
